In the Genesis reading, we hear God speaking to Abram, a childless, Bedouin septuagenarian. God tells Abram that if he and his equally aged wife Sarai leave their current home and everything they know, God will make them into a great nation and a blessing to all families on earth.
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Deuteronomy 30:15-20 • Choose the fullness of life. Matthew 5:21-26 • Teaching on anger. We belong to God. This is God’s promise to us. We belong, we have purpose. Through Jesus we learn about healthy relationships and how to treat one another. Often religious institutions refer to God’s commandments as
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Psalm 40 • I waited patiently for God. John 1:29-42 • Simon and Andrew become disciples Fear, uncertainty, and worry can hold us back from all that God offers. Imagine what could happen if we found a way to release our fears. Imagine what could happen when we trust in
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Isaiah 65: 17-19 • New heavens and a new earth Luke 21: 5-10 • The end times and beyond We as humans are extremely sensitive to signs of danger. Fear can be a powerful way of rallying people for good–or for ill. If a person or group can convince others
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Joel 2:23-32 • Abundant rain, full threshing floors. Psalm 65 • God crowns the year with goodness. God’s spirit has been poured out on us, we are marked with God’s love. Joel’s prophecy names that as the spirit is poured upon the people, the children will also prophesy, our seniors
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Jeremiah 18:1-11 • The potter and the clay. Luke: 14: 25-33 • The cost of discipleship. In Jeremiah, the house of Israel is portrayed as a vessel created by and for God. It illustrates both God’s hopes and plans for that vessel, God’s awareness of how the vessel is fulfilling
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Genesis 32:22-31 Jacob wrestles with God Matthew 14:13-21 Feeding more than five thousand. There are many stories of struggle in the Bible. These stories share the journey of brokenness transformed to healing through the compassion and love of Jesus given freely and openly to us through God and experienced in
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